Bale is known for his dramatic physical transformations to fit his roles and sometimes that distracts from the performance itself. Not so in The Fighter, which offers Bale at his most pathetically cocksure and heartbreakingly deluded. His Dickey Eklund is a complicated character, both easy to hate and easy to feel sorry for. Bale is so terrific in this movie, all erratic gestures and broken speech patterns, that his eventual redemption is earned.
For a movie that's essentially a three hour character piece to work, its lead character needs to be an anchor. As Jordan Belfort, DiCaprio is ferociously hyper, charmingly horrific and full of undying energy. DiCaprio has really thrived under the direction of cinema icon Martin Scorsese and this performance really expands his talents. DiCaprio delivers his speeches with a thunderous confidence, without losing the social commentary. This movie also gives him the opportunity to do some physical comedy--the quaalude scene is a work of art.
I don't think I can recall another performance that is full of such blatant self-loathing as Fassbender's Brandon in Shame. Outwardly charming and composed, Brandon has such a pure hatred for himself that the film is hard to watch at times. Fassbender plays Brandon's sex addiction as an all-consuming disease that he can barely control--and his status as a wealthy heterosexual handsome white man certainly enables Brandon's addiction. As we watch Brandon's structured life implode with the arrival of his clingy sister (Carey Mulligan), the brutal affects of addiction become painfully clear.
When comedic actors do dramatic roles, everyone likes to fall over themselves in praise. But for me, the reverse is far more interesting--dramatic actors doing comedy. Ralph Fiennes' work as Monsieur Gustave H. is astounding. He possesses excellent comic timing but his jokes and zingers carry the sadness of someone who knows his time in the sun is ending. Fiennes has such an old world charm; Gustave H. could only exist in his time. And, Fiennes plays him as a relic even among contemporaries and in his own time. Fiennes' laugh lines are hysterical and he is so committed to ridiculous nature of the role.
Lizard-like in his body and movements, Jake Gyllenhaal really loses himself in Nightcrawler as Lou Bloom. Playing a near sociopathic go-getter, Gyllenhaal obsessively recites business school maxims and problem-solves. But his lack of scruples become more apparent and the wide-eyed boyishness becomes more sinister. This is a performance unlike any my boy Jakey G. had done before. His dialogue delivery is precise, his actions are controlled and composed and he only goes for broke when absolutely necessary, making it all the more creepy.
Ex Machina is very much a takedown of white male privilege and Oscar Isaac (who isn't white but don't tell Hollywood that) plays Nathan like a parody of bro-tastic uber manliness. Hard drinker, buff, rich, nerdy and with the ability to create female-presenting sex robots. The performance is so committed, with lots of charm that Nathan's own ugliness comes as an unwelcome surprise. Nathan on the surface is a fun, cool guy but Isaac's work is sinister and manipulative. The sci-fi drama is smart and fun to unpack in no small part due to the layered work of Oscar Isaac.
Look, I'm not a huge fan of biopics. Most of them feature performances that are imitations or tributes. Not so for David Oyelowo's work as Martin Luther King, Jr. His work, unjustly snubbed for an Oscar nomination, is full-bodied and doesn't lionize the man. Dr. King did many great things for the country but was still a flawed man and Oyelowo is critical in his performance. His booming voice makes the speeches resonant, even if the film couldn't use Dr. King's actual words. This is one instance of a biopic that feels like an actual acting performance.
End of Watch is a small movie that didn't make much waves when it was released. And that's a real shame because it was a rare leading role for notorious character actor Michael Pena. Blessed with the ability to enliven even the most perfunctory of roles (like in Ant-Man), Pena is a showstopper. While he has his usual comedic charm, Miguel Zavala is a three-dimensional family man and the performance avoids a lot of cop sidekick cliches. Pena is such an engaging person on the screen and this performance is textured and heartfelt.
Playing a man who comes out of the closet so late in life, Christopher Plummer doesn't do the obvious. He's not self-loathing or scared of his new life. As Hal Fields, Plummer displays a curiosity and joyousness that is infectious. Beginners is such a beautiful film because his coming out isn't simple. There's some real sadness over the decades of lies and secrecy. Plummer is obviously a talented actor, and this role perfectly suits him. As the film goes on, Plummer is heartbreaking. His work isn't "brave," in the way most performances are from straight guys who play gay. Plummer is just human, finding little joys among life's hurdles.
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I agree
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